Jackfish will be along in a while probably recommending the Infinity Primus P152 bookshelf for $150/pair, and he would be right. No way you could build your own with comparable sound for that kind of money.

RG

Quote:
hi
i tried researching most i can and been wondering about a question "
what would provide better sound quality for a cheap system $350 max for now like a pair of bookshelf speakers would it be better if i made my own and put quality parts in? or bought something like polk or infiniti
it would be hooked up to a normal stereo and probly would slowly upgrade the stystem to bigger and better i had a reciever and stuff but they got lost/stolen.

If you have to ask, the answer is that you are better off buying. To do better building, you need more knowledge and experience.

To DIY speakers I think you have to approach it as a hobby and just delve in. Start with small, inexpensive projects to get experience building boxes, learning about matching drivers and designing and building crossovers. There are certainly many projects (where someone else has done the design and testing work and put togther a parts list) out there that can be built for $350 that will sound as good as speakers costing many times more. Its a matter of being able learn the skills to put them together. Some people take months just to learn how to solder properly and I've seen some people never be able to build a decent box after many attempts.

You can get pretty good sound for $350 a pair buying a factory loudspeaker without the learning curve and at times intense aggravation.

http://www.partsexpress.com/projectshowcase/homeaudio.cfm
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Speakers/speakers.htm
http://www.diyspeakers.net/index.php
http://www.speakerbuilding.com/
http://home.earthlink.net/~etunstal/diy.htm

Quote:
alright thank you i'll go with buying then but when is it apporite to build your own speaker?
is there any good ways to gain good experiance besides pay attention to what peaple have to say and trail and error?

I think that jackfish answered those questions pretty completely. If you get into it as a hobby and ride up the learning curve, you wil be able to see when it pays to buy or to build for yourself.

Kal

The Infinity Primus P162s can be had for $200/pair delivered. They are a considerably better speaker than the P152s.

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/1007inf/

Paradigm Titans are also in the price range. I'd recommend taking a listen to them too.

Parts Express offers a $150/pr speaker kit, the BR-1, whose performance is comparable to mainstream speakers in the $300 price range. The Dayton classic drivers in it are pretty good, and the crossover parts are very good (air core inductors, metallized poly caps, etc.). The enclosure is made of 5/8" mdf instead of the usual 3/4", and with no internal bracing it does have some resonances. The ports and speaker terminals are pre-installed in the enclosures, and most importantly the driver cutouts and recesses are already prepared for you to drop in and secure the drivers with the included black head screws.

You build the kit by soldering the crossover parts to a printed circuit board, installing and wiring the crossover, and installing the drivers. The owners' manual, which can be seen onliine, includes a speaker therory tutorial and is very complete. Nobody is going to sell their Magico Mini's to buy a pair of BR-1's, but they are a great bargain at the price.

I built a system for our housekeeper using the BR-1's, a $100 Sherwood stereo receiver and a $45 mass market DVD player. Compared to high end speakers the bass isn't as tight and the treble can sound a bit grainy on some material, but the system is still satisfying and invloving. It doesn't do anything that I find really objectionable.

It would be really interesting if a Stereophile reveiewer would build a pair of BR-1's and compare them to other budget standmounts that have been reviewed recently.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-640